Papa Murphy's, a business based in Vancouver

Vancouver, Washington

Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...

, Washington, United States, is a take-and-bake

Take and bake pizzeria

A take and bake pizzeria, sometimes just known as a take and bake , is a pizzeria which sells uncooked pizzas to customers, who then cook the pizzas at home in their own ovens....

 pizza company.

History

The chain of take and bake pizzerias traces its history back to 1981, when the Papa Aldo's Pizza chain was begun in Hillsboro, Oregon

Hillsboro, Oregon

Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...

. Three years later Murphy's Pizza chain began in Petaluma, California

Petaluma, California

Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. In the 2010 Census the population was 57,941.Located in Petaluma is the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then Commandant of the San...

. Eventually both chains were acquired by Terry Collins, who in 1995 merged the two chains into the Papa Murphy's chain. The chain was incorporated as Papa Murphy's International, Inc. In 2003, Papa Murphy's was voted "Best Pizza Chain in America" by Restaurants and Institutions Magazine and have been every year since. The company was merged with PMI Holdings, Inc. in 2004.

Papa Murphy's won the platinum award for Consumers’ First Choice in pizza chains in 2006. Winner of Pizza Today's 2009 Chain of the Year, as well as in 2001, 2006, and 2008. In 2010, the chain was sold to Lee Equity Partners

Lee Equity Partners

Lee Equity Partners is a private equity firm focused on growth capital investments in middle-market companies across a range of industries.The firm, which is based in New York City, was founded in 2006 by Thomas H. Lee, the notable private equity investor who previously founded Thomas H...

 of New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

.

Operations

Orders are available by walk-in or call-in and also soon to be online orders. Some stores have a drive-thru window where customers can pick up call-in orders. Unlike regular pizza establishments, the pizza is made at the store but is not baked there. Instead, consumers bake the pizzas at their own homes. According to Nation's Restaurant News

Nation's Restaurant News

Nation's Restaurant News is an American trade publication, founded in 1967, that covers the foodservice industry, including restaurants, restaurant chains, operations, marketing, and events. It is owned by Penton Media, who purchased it from founding company Lebhar-Friedman in December 2010...

, take-and-bake pizzerias typically have lower costs because they require less restaurant space and equipment. As a result, they are often able to undercut the national pizza giants. Papa Murphy's also offer salads, chocolate chip

Chocolate chip

Chocolate chips are small chunks of chocolate. They are often sold in a round, flat-bottomed teardrop shape. They are available in numerous sizes, from large to miniature, but are usually around 1 cm in diameter.-Origin:...

 cookie dough

Cookie dough

Cookie dough refers to a blend of cookie ingredients which has been mixed into a malleable form which has not yet been hardened by heat. The dough is often then separated and the portions baked to individual cookies, or eaten as is....

, cheesy bread, cinnamon wheels, and soft drinks in various sizes.
There are currently over 1,100 stores in 34 states, plus fourteen stores in Canada. Nearly all of the stores are franchised

Franchising

Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....

. It is the 5th-largest pizza chain in the United States and the pioneer of take-and-bake pizza.

Because Papa Murphy's pizzas are uncooked, many states allow them to be purchased with food stamps -- not unlike purchasing uncooked or frozen pizzas in the supermarket.